Quality RV Service In Utah
RV owners, especially those with motorhomes, may wish to be aware of Charlie’s Auto & RV (charliesservice.com) in Sunset, Utah. This shop is right off Interstate 15 north of Salt Lake City and has full RV hookups for clients. We have used them for repairs, hardware installation (refrigerator, leveling jacks, etc.), problem solving, and maintenance. They do excellent work. An appointment can be made at (801) 773-1193.
Hank Hein, F330543
Via email
Kudos To Minneapolis KOA
During the recent Labor Day holiday, we stayed at the Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey (koa.com/campgrounds/minneapolis-northwest). This campground is one of the best we have parked at during the 12-plus years we have been driving our 2011 Allegro RED motorhome. The friendliness and helpfulness of the management and staff, beginning with Joyce, who took our original reservation, and the neatness and cleanliness of the entire campground facility all were outstanding.
Also, while he was leading us to our campsite, Gary, who is a member of the staff, noticed that one of our headlights was out. We did not know how to remove the nonworking bulb, but Gary did. He pulled it out and said if we purchased a replacement at a nearby auto parts store, he would install it. These were not simple tasks, and we were grateful for Gary’s expertise in doing both. We offered Gary a gratuity, but he would not accept. He said that he simply likes to help people. That attitude was reflected by all the management and staff of this wonderful campground.
When you next are in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area, we recommend Minneapolis Northwest KOA.
Warren & Zehava Sklar, F420619
Beachwood, Ohio
Farewell To A Maestros Leader
On September 13, 2023, we, the Frustrated Maestros musical family, lost a dear and highly valued friend and leader in Richard D. Kale, F336665. Rich passed after a short illness while on a trip in his motorhome in Michigan. Rich joined our Maestros ranks at the Great Lakes Area Rally in Berrien Springs, Michigan, in 2007. He quickly became a stalwart in the saxophone section of the band, and from there he moved to the position of music director and conductor for many, many Frustrated Maestros performances at area rallies and international conventions. He also arranged 88-plus songs for the Maestros band and chorus. Rich will be sorely missed by all of the Frustrated Maestros family. He also leaves behind his beloved wife of 36 years, Freda Kale. Rest in peace, Rich.
David Fuller, F331444
The Villages, Florida
My FMCAssist Experience
After reading the letter titled “Our Recent Experience With FMCAssist‚ in the September 2023 issue (Readers Write, page 6), I wish to share my experience while on a cruise.
My wife, Marie, and I took a cruise from Miami, Florida, just after Thanksgiving in November 2022. While on the cruise, my wife had a medical emergency, and she was taken by ambulance to the hospital at our first port of call, in St. Thomas. We were unable to rejoin our cruise, because they had to keep my wife in the hospital for treatment. I acquired some unexpected expenses while in St. Thomas for hotels, meals, cab fares, and airfare. My wife and I booked our cruise with cruise credits acquired from cancellations during COVID-19. Little did I know that travel insurance will not cover accrued credits, only actual cash payments.
I never expected to use the FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program. Once I remembered about the card and telephone number, I did not hesitate to contact them. To my astonishment, they were very professional and helpful. I was instructed to save all my receipts and submit them for full reimbursement once I arrived home. An email was sent to me with all the necessary information and forms to make this process very simple. They even helped me schedule a flight back home.
Lucky for me, the folks at FMCAssist stepped up, big time, without a question, and covered every penny of my unexpected expenses, and I had nothing to worry about. All my unforeseen expenses were reimbursed in full once I arrived home. Turnaround time and payment were very quick once I submitted all the required information.
Unfortunately, my wife succumbed to her medical issue. Thank you FMCA for being there and being so helpful in a time of crisis.
Ken Lailer, F483857
Whitman, Massachusetts
When In Doubt, Wait It Out
I’m relatively new to Family RVing magazine and FMCA, though I’m very impressed with both and anticipate having a continued and long membership. Family RVing magazine seems to be less oriented to “newbies‚ than other outlets I subscribe to, but it definitely includes them as part of its audience. With that in mind, along with the knowledge that no matter how long one has been RVing, there is always the potential to learn something new, I thought it important to share a recent experience my wife and I had on a return trip home. My hope is that sharing this experience may help others to avoid what we experienced or worse.
I’m 76 and comparatively new to camping for my age, but I’ve had four motorhomes over the last 10 years, so I consider myself a somewhat seasoned RVer. We travel about 12,000 miles a year from March to November. I typically do not follow alternate routes suggested by my navigator when accidents or other events slow or temporarily stop freeway traffic. However, on a trip home on April 19, 2023, the navigator indicated that Interstate 77 in Virginia was closed four miles ahead due to a vehicle on fire. I thought those circumstances would likely delay us for hours, so I decided to follow the navigator’s suggestion for a route off I-77 that would take us to a freeway entrance past the accident site. Note that my motorhome vehicle profile was entered in the navigator as 40 feet 9 inches long, 8 feet 6 inches wide, 12 feet 11 inches high, 37,000 pounds. I also tow a car, but, unfortunately, the navigator does not allow entry of a towed vehicle. With the addition of the tow bar and car, we are about 53 feet long.
I left I-77 at exit 1 in Virginia (Route 620 West, Lambsburg Road) and followed a narrow road for about a quarter mile when it suddenly started going up a mountain. At that point I had no option but to continue forward ˛ there was no place for me to turn around, and I could not back up due to towing a car. I soon encountered the most horrifying driving experience of my life.
For six miles we traveled up a mountain with countless blind spots and sharp curves on a single-lane road. At times the road was so steep that our hitch hit the pavement. At another point there were two curves so close in opposite directions that I couldn’t avoid hitting the rocky mountainside with the rear end passenger side of the motorhome ($3,034 for parts only). To make matters even more horrifying and dangerous, several cars and pickup trucks began coming down the mountain. I can’t count the number of times we encountered a car or pickup truck in a blind curve and nearly collided. Each time I had to move quickly to my right, where there were mere inches between us and the edge of the mountain, and where there was nothing to prevent us from going off the side and dropping hundreds of feet.
After driving miles up the mountain, we finally were directed to turn right on Route 775 (Chances Creek Road), which was a bit wider and had a center line. This road also had sharp, blind curves, but it was easier to navigate due to its width and us traveling down rather than up the mountain. We were able to re-enter I-77 at the end of this road (Virginia 148, Fancy Gap) and continue to our overnight stop in Wytheville, Virginia.
Despite having entered the vehicle profile information in the navigator, it still recommended the alternative route. There is a statement in the navigator manual indicating that entering the vehicle’s profile does not guarantee that the data will be accounted for in all route suggestions. Yet, there is no way of knowing if, or when, the vehicle’s profile is accounted for at any point along a route. The lesson here is when encountering a delay on the main route, be sure you understand the limitations of your navigator’s suggestions for alternative routes, and when in doubt, wait it out.
Don Cegala, F539365
Columbus, Ohio
We want to hear from you! Family RVing welcomes comments about articles published in the magazine or topics of interest to RV owners. Email readerswrite@fmca.com; mail to Readers Write, FMCA, 8291 Clough Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45244. Please include your name, city, and state/province. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.